Rabbit’s Feat

An act of collective kindness brings two characters more proximate to one another in Saltzberg’s gladdening and punny story. As the time approaches for Cactus’s flowers to bloom, Boulder, perched on a nearby cliff, expresses a fervent desire to see them up close. Overhearing the conversation, compassionate Rabbit and a winged insect companion attempt to nudge things along. While their initial exertions barely move the large rock, the help of friends and a little ingenuity allows Boulder to make the desired move. Digital mixed-media techniques add texturized dimension to spare compositions of desert terrain against a darkening periwinkle sky. Boulder and Cactus’s dialogue has an earnest intimacy (“ ‘How do you know my flowers will be beautiful?’ Cactus asked.// ‘I know because I dream about them,’ said Boulder”) that’s artfully balanced by the story’s action as Rabbit and buddies, apparently unnoticed, comically engineer a way to move Boulder. Ages 4–8. (June)